Why isn’t there a rover on Mars One’s first mission?

The first mission to Mars will be a demonstration mission. This lander mission will provide proof of concepts of some important technologies. In the event of any problems with the deployment of the lander on this first mission, the only risk will be to the payload, and to the lander itself.

Any lesson learned from the demonstration mission will be used to perfect the lander deployment process, and minimize risk to the high-value Mars rover during a following mission. For more information about Mars One's mission schedule, please go to the Roadmap.